Alihan Muda after is seen arriving
at the Brunei International Airport
in this August 21, 2009 file photo.
Picture: BT file

Brunei will be represented by 10 athletes at next Saturday's inaugural Asian Para Games in Guangzhou, China.

Two weeks after the Guangzhou Asian Games comes to a close, attention in the city will shift to the parallel sport event for disabled athletes where it is estimated that 5,500 athletes from 45 countries will gather for eight days of competition.

The first edition of the tournament, it is a continuation of the Far East and South Pacific Games for the Disabled (Fespic) Games, which was previously the biggest multi-sport tournament in the region.

According to Brunei's chef de mission the country's entries will all be competing in athletics.

"We will be sending seven athletes in the field events and three in the track events," Hj Rosmadee Hj Md Daud told The Brunei Times yesterday.

"The athletes in the field events are being trained by Lim Chee Wee while those in the track events are coached by Hj Wahid Ismail," added the Assistant Director at the Community Development Department (Japem).

Brunei was represented by eight athletes in four sports equestrian, fencing, karate and wushu at the Nov 12-27 Asian Games, but all of them failed to win a medal.

But when it comes to the Asian Para Games, the country might have a chance at finishing on the podium.

The country has a rich history competing at multi-sport events for disabled athletes, winning a bronze medal in the last edition of the Fespic Games in Kuala Lumpur four years ago.

Sibuang Hj Kalong was the country's lone medalist, finishing third in the men's javelin F11 event.

Brunei has also tasted a lot of success at the Asean level, where they recorded their biggest ever haul of nine gold, five silver and eight bronze medals at last year's Asean Para Games which was also in the Malaysian capital. They also set three new Asean Para Games records at the fifth edition of the meet.

Undoubtedly one of the favourites in Guangzhou, Sibuang was also victorious last year, this time finishing on top of the podium in the men's javelin F11 event.

Another athlete who is set to make the trip to the Chinese city is Alihan Muda, who was the Sultanate's sole representative at October's Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

Making his debut at the tournament, Alihan finished sixth in a field of nine athletes in the F34 shot put event with a best throw of 8.10m.

Like Sibuang, Alihan is no stranger to the field of para-sports.

He returned with a gold (men's shot put F35 event) and two silver medals (discus throw F35 and javelin F35) from last year's Asean Para Games and won two gold medals (men's discus F35 and men's shot put F35) and a bronze (men's javelin F35) at the 2008 edition in Korat, Thailand.